Tennis ball retrieving system

Abstract

A tennis ball recovery system for use in a full court utilizes an inelastic flexible damping screen hooked onto the back fence of the tennis court, which intercepts the driven ball and drops it onto a resilient apron that extends away from a collection trough. Within the trough there is located a conveyor that will move the balls toward the center of the trough and substantially central of the trough a conduit is provided with positive pressure to move the ball into a conduit and into a receptacle.

I claim: 
     
       1. A tennis ball recovery system for a tennis playing court having a back fence comprising: a substantially inelastic flexible damping screen, said screen being mounted such that a portion thereof is in spaced relation to and substantially parallel to the back fence of a tennis court, a horizontal trough having its length substantially parallel with and positioned below the bottom edge of the damping screen;   said trough having an opening;   a ball receptacle;   a conduit at the opening directed away from the back fence to said receptacle;   positive pressure means arranged to direct air transversely across the trough and through said conduit to feed balls into the conduit;   an airplane cable having a cord wound helically thereabout forming a helical feed screw and means to rotate the cable whereby balls are moved toward the opening.   
     
     
       2. A tennis ball recovery system as in claim 1 wherein the damping screen hangs free at its lower edge and is chain link fencing material having square openings smaller than a tennis ball. 
     
     
       3. A tennis ball recovery system as in claim 1 wherein a resilient apron extends from the trough away from the damping screen, said apron being formed of polycarbonate of thickness on the order of 3.1 mm.